Beenie Man On Why He’s Never Worked With DJ Khaled
Grammy award-winning producer DJ Khaled has collaborated with some of Dancehall’s heaviest hitters over the years, but noticeably absent from that list is King of the Dancehall Beenie Man.
Speaking on the Let’s Be Honest podcast last Friday, Beenie Man vaguely alluded to an incident between him and Khaled years ago as a reason why they’ve never worked together.
“When Khaled used to play sound [system], mi and him did have a likkle… yuh zeet,” he shared, filling the long pauses in his explanation with animated hand gestures. “It neva go ova so right and… as mi tell yuh, mi a bad man…”
Though not divulging more specific details, Beenie Man seemed to suggest that Khaled may have been the one in the wrong, telling the host Jaii Frais, “Him seh di wrong ting and it neva go ova right. A just so dat go. But, Khaled a Khaled and mi love him same way.”
He further explained that the incident is one he has left in the past. Khaled, however, doesn’t seem to share that sentiment. “Mi nuh guh check him and tell him man, mi tell him seh a bygones, mi tell him dat already enuh but… it’s just, if a man cyaa forget then… yuh zeet.”
DJ Khaled’s roots in Dancehall music can be traced as far back as the 90s – a period in which he earned the ‘DJ’ portion of his stage name. As an enthusiastic lover of and practitioner in Sound Clash culture, Khaled used a number of Solid Agency-organized beach parties as his testing grounds.
He honed the talent that would eventually earn him the respect of powerful Dancehall veterans, especially Bounty Killer, who he honored with a diamond-encrusted chain last year for playing a critical role in the early days of his career.
Bounty and Beenie Man were feuding at the time, and naturally, Khaled took Bounty’s side.
“He was parring with Bounty Killer and thing and he tried to disrespect me pon stage,” Beenie recalled in a Boomshots interview in 2012.
“You can’t disrespect. We don’t take disrespect cause we do not disrespect people. We show you the most respect and the most honor.”
In the Let’s Be Honest interview, Beenie reiterated that he still had the utmost respect for the ‘We Da Best’ producer, despite them having never worked together.
“Khaled a mi producer and mi respect him and love him fi everyting wa him do fi Dancehall music,” remarked the 50-year-old Grammy Award winner.
Seemingly hellbent on proving how genuine his admiration for the God Did producer is, he added: “If I’m telling you this and you don’t believe me, I am deeply offended. But, Khaled,” he said, more pointedly to the camera, “I really do respect yuh.”
“To di grung weh him walk pon, mi respect him fi Dancehall and mi love everyting wa him do fi Dancehall,” he continued. “Whether him work wid mi or not, put dat aside. Khaled a Khaled.”
Furthering his point about Khaled’s consistent inclusion of Dancehall on his Billboard-topping albums, Beenie Man acknowledged that: [Whether] “him sell three million copies and four million copies,” a Dancehall artist is almost sure to be found on Khaled’s projects “every year.”
“Mi love him fi dat. If mi nuh love him fi nothin’ else, mi love him fi dat,” Beenie said.
He also sought to clear up any lingering doubts that their soured relationship had caused him to harbor ill feelings toward Khaled. “Mi nuh hate him fi nuh waan work wid mi,” Beenie asserted, “‘cause mi understand how it guh.”
Eleven of Khaled’s thirteen studio albums (four of which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200), have featured one or more Jamaican Reggae/Dancehall artist, among them Mavado, Buju Banton, Capleton, Sean Paul, Cham, Skillibeng, Bounty Killer, and Sizzla.